A new Results Report takes stock of how a US$439 million humanitarian investment from more than 50 donors delivered life-saving assistance to over 22 million people facing the consequences of natural disasters and conflict around the world.

The FAO portal to monitor Water Productivity through Open access of Remotely sensed derived data (WaPOR) monitors and reports on agriculture water productivity over Africa and the Near East.

It provides open access to the water productivity database and its thousands of underlying map layers, it allows for direct data queries, time series analyses, area statistics and data download of key variables associated to water and land productivity assessments.

The Global Early Warning – Early Action (EWEA) report on food security and agriculture is developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The report is part of FAO’s EWEA system, which aims to translate forecasts and early warnings into anticipatory action.
EWEA enables FAO to act early before disasters have happened and to mitigate or even prevent their impact. By lessening damages to livelihoods and protecting assets and investments, FAO can help local livelihoods become more resilient to threats and crises.

Hunger is not inevitable As 2016 comes to an end, almost 130-million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Throughout the year, natural hazards, conflict and protracted crises have placed a particularly heavy burden on the poor, who are often extremely vulnerable to shocks. Across 22-affected areas, 70-million people are currently in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3 or above.

9 March 2016, Rome - Thirty-four countries, including 27 in Africa, are currently in need of external assistance for food due to drought, flooding and civil conflicts, according to a new edition of FAO's Crop Prospects and Food Situation report released today.

• Conflict in Yemen is causing increasing food insecurity.
As of June, at least 6 million people are facing Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity. Millions more could easily fall into the emergency conditions unless a political solution is found quickly.

Syria: The security situation had deteriorated with escalating violence in the West of the country resulting in population displacement and hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Large numbers of newly displaced are heading to the calmer regions of Idleb governorate, which hosts over 500,000 IDPs. In the East, Iraqi helicopters hit an opposition convoy in the first strike claimed by Iraq inside Syria since the conflict began.

Central African Republic: Renewed clashes between anti-balaka and Seleka fighters occurred in several locations in central, northern, and southwestern provinces. MISCA soldiers are being redeployed to cover areas previously secured by the Chadian contingent. A Christian religious leader was killed and four were abducted in two northern towns, while 30 Christian civilians were reportedly killed in a central town.

Syria: Violence continues in and around Damascus, with government shelling and retaliation attacks from opposition fighters. Armed confrontations are also reported in the northwest, near the Syria–Turkey border, including in Lattakia where heavy fighting has continued for two weeks. To date, over nine million people are in need of assistance, and more than 2.6 million have fled the country. In late March, successful negotiations allowed food distribution to four million people. This was the first dispatch to all provinces for six months.

Tropical cyclone Evan hit Samoa and Fiji on 13 and 16 December. As a category 4 storm, Evan caused significant damage to homes and infrastructure on both islands. 3,500 people were evacuated to emergency shelters in Fiji. In Samoa 1,500 were evacuated and 2 killed.Typhoon Bopha (Pablo) made landfall in the southern Philippines on 4 December, carrying winds of up to 160 kilometres an hour.

Storm Bopha is heading toward southern Philippines as thousands of people are evacuating in high-risk areas. The storm is expected to intensify to a typhoon and will make landfall in Northern Mindanao late on Tuesday night. Severe rains have affected at least 6,500 people in Panama prompting the Government of Panama to declare a state of emergency for the regions of La Chorrera, Capira and Colón.

The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, with heavy fighting in Damascus, Homs, Aleppo, Deir al-Zor, Deraa as well as Idlib and Hama provinces.

More than 140,000 have been displaced in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, after rebel group M23 gained control over the regional capital Goma and surrounding areas. Heavy fighting between rebels and the military continues to rage nationwide in Syria, primarily in Aleppo, Damascus and Deir al-Zor governorates. A recently published WFP assessment revealed that about 1.3 million people (25% of the total population) are considered food insecure in Kyrgyzstan, due to high food prices.

Both Guatemala and Myanmar were affected by earthquakes during the reporting period. On 7 November, an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude struck the pacific coast of Guatemala, affecting more than 600,000 people followed by a second quake of 6.2 magnitude on 11 November. There were no immediate reports of major infrastructural damage caused by the second earthquake. The 6.8 magnitude earthquake which struck in Myanmar on 10 November, meanwhile, damaged infrastructure but the full extent of the impact remains unclear.

High food prices persist in developing countries despite an improved global cereal supply situation and sharp decline in international prices. This is affecting access to food of large numbers of low-income vulnerable populations.

A recent analysis of domestic food prices for 58 developing countries shows that latest prices are higher than a year earlier in 78 percent of the cases, and in 43 percent of the cases are higher than 3 months earlier. Mostly affected are sub-Saharan African countries.

Problem Statement/Context: The
Asia Pacific region has an emergency profile characterized by a combination
of natural disasters, civil/political unrest with pockets of conflict situations,
and recent emerging new global threats such as high food and fuel prices
crisis, the threat of pandemic influenza and other emerging diseases.

As the end of 2007 nears, the number
of people the World Food Programme is seeking to support has risen to 83
million. The amount of food assistance required to assist these people
is valued at US$3.4 billion. Considering resources mobilized thus far in
2007, the current level of funding falls short by some US$653 million.

Additional resources amounting to approximately
US$800 million are required before the end of 2007 to ensure uninterrupted
food aid deliveries for ongoing activities.